


Visions

by Ailette



Category: Excalibur - Fandom, Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Imported, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-15 03:50:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2214699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailette/pseuds/Ailette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While the rest of the team is celebrating, Brian is looking for some peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Visions

Brian stood on the dark path leading to the entrance of **The Chalk & Cheese**, listening to the muted laughter coming from inside the pub. _It’s fun_ , he reminded himself, _to be with my friends like this_. Without the tormenting visions of future and past, showing him things he shouldn’t know. And the others were having fun. He could see Moira doing the limbo with Kitty and Meggan on one of the bigger tables, the guests around them clapping their hands to no obvious rhythm, just enjoying themselves. But he couldn’t go back in there now. He couldn’t just give up his worries to a few glasses of Scotch and Whiskey, like everyone else did. It wouldn’t work anyway. The visions didn’t let him forget, no matter what he did.

Suddenly the laughter grew louder around him, seemingly drawing him back in, inviting him to a world he was no longer part of. But the noise subsided to the former level just a few seconds later, only to be replaced by the clicking sound of a lighter. As Brian looked up he saw the little flame illuminating Pete Wisdom who must have just stumbled out of the pub. Bloody chain-smoker.

As if he heard his last thought, Pete suddenly looked up and directly towards him, despite the fact that he shouldn’t have been able to see Brian in the darkness. The lights coming from the pub’s windows didn’t reach him. For a moment, nothing happened, both just staring at the other. Brian could hear the inhaling of nicotine and then saw the faint blue smoke rise in the air. To his surprise, the cigarette was then flipped away carelessly, vanishing somewhere into the bushes; and Wisdom began to make his way over to him, his motions staggering, coming to a halt only centimetres from Brian. He looked up at him, blinking owlishly. How much had he had to drink?

“What’re you doing out here?” he asked accusingly, as if he wasn’t “out here” himself.

Brian shrugged and fought the urge to take a step away from the man before him or the strong smell of alcohol underlying his breath. It wouldn’t do to show weakness in the company of Wisdom. “Just getting a bit of fresh air.”

“Huh.” Wisdom looked rather unconvinced. “You haven’t been drinking anything.”

“Of course I have.”

“No, you haven’t. You’ve just been happily sipping your non-alcoholic stuff. You’re worse than Rahne,” he observed sharply, but ruining the intimidating effect slightly by hiccupping in the middle of the sentence.

“What’s your problem, Wisdom?” Brian asked, the anger barely showing on the edges of his words. Pete was way too drunk to notice it.

He seemed to consider this seriously for a while. “I think…” The following pause made Brian doubt the eventual continuation of that sentence. But it came. “I think I’m pissed,” Pete finished, looking oddly satisfied with himself and giggling. There was something very wrong with Peter Wisdom giggling like a young schoolgirl.

Brian’s eyebrows rose. “You might be right about that.”

Pete let himself fall to the grass beneath him, still chuckling. “Yeah, I’m a clever, clever man,” he said proudly as he moved to sit cross-legged. He patted the grass in front of him like one would do with a chair to invite a person to sit next to them. When Brian didn’t follow his invitation, he simply grabbed the other man’s wrist and pulled him down with surprising strength. Brian nearly fell into the other man’s lap before giving a slight cough and sitting down next to him.

“You’re a very pushy drunk, you know that?”

Pete just grinned. “So I’ve been told. But usually for other things then _that_.” He motioned to where Brian had stood just a minute ago.

“Do I want to know?” Brian asked, looking more than a little unnerved. He wasn’t prepared to find Pete’s face so much closer to his own, brown eyes catching the faint light of the moon, making them gleam with something close to melancholy.

“I don’t think so,” he whispered, inching even closer so Brian could feel his breath against his lips. For a moment, he could see in his minds eye what was about to happen, not clear and scaring like the visions from the time stream, but distant and yet lucid; a warning he chose to ignore.

Then soft lips were on his, a hand cupping the side of his face, caressing the cold skin. As he opened his mouth to the tongue running inquiring over his bottom lip, the sharp taste of good scotch and old whiskey mingled with the vague impression of nicotine hit him. It should have been repulsive, or worrying, but it was neither. He couldn’t describe it, but it just _was_. It just _was_ , like he _was_ just kissing Pete. A second hand came up and tangled in his hair, playing with the long blond strands like they’d never done anything else.

It was impossible for him to say how long they were sitting in the wet grass like this, the moon shining down on them whenever the clouds let it, hands roaming over foreign bodies, breathing becoming less and less important. A very small voice in Brian’s head screamed for him to stop, to think again, to think of Meggan. But he didn’t want to think. Not when he’d finally found the one person that could make his thoughts stop.

“Hey, where’re the boys?” Amanda’s voice. For a brief second, he could feel Pete’s body stiffen in his arms, then everything happened a little too fast for him to follow. Pete jumped up and dusted invisible dirt of his jeans, turning around without sparing Brian a second look.

“Amanda, luv!” He called, a sluggish tone to his voice. That hadn’t been there before, had it?

“Weeeeee, Pete!” Kitty all but glomped her boyfriend. The commotion around Pete gave him the time to get up and smoothen out his clothes and hair. No sooner was he done than when Meggan arrived at his side, kissing him full on the lips. If she noticed the alcohol on his tongue, she didn’t say anything as they parted again. Happily dragging Brian behind her, she caught up with Moira, beginning to chat about something Kurt had said earlier, both soon laughing again.

The whole situation seemed so very normal, it was surreal. Brian found his face frozen with a dishonest smile, just staring at the path before them, illuminated by too many lanterns. Everything would have been as it was supposed to be. Except for the glance Pete threw in his direction. He only noticed when they passed the lanterns’ circle of light, the wistfulness too clear in the other man’s eyes, seemingly shining by itself. Somehow Pete had managed to walk right next to him, his fingers, swaying as he walked, brushing Brian’s slightly.

**Author's Note:**

> (Originally posted at http://ailette.livejournal.com/29049.html)  
> Beta: freakydarling! You're awesome! XD  
> A/N: My christmas present for lenija .This fic would take place in Excalibur #91, but you can read it without knowing that issue (or the old team).


End file.
